Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took to social media to express his confusion over India's batting decisions in the ongoing third Test against New Zealand. After Sarfaraz Khan, who has been in good form, was demoted to the eighth position in the batting order, Manjrekar criticized the decision made by skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir. Sarfaraz's previous performances at the Wankhede Stadium, where he has scored 601 runs in 6 innings, make the decision even more puzzling.
Sarfaraz Khan Snubbed: Manjrekar Questions India's Batting Decisions
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his dismay at India's baffling batting order changes in the ongoing third Test against New Zealand. In a series of social media posts, Manjrekar criticized the decision to drop in-form batter Sarfaraz Khan to the eighth position.
Background
Sarfaraz Khan has been in scintillating form for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season, scoring over 700 runs, including a triple-century. He also impressed during India's warm-up game against New Zealand 'A,' scoring a half-century.
In the first Test of the series, Sarfaraz replaced Hanuma Vihari in the playing XI and made an immediate impact, scoring a crucial 54 in India's first innings. However, in the second Test, he was dropped for Shreyas Iyer.
Manjrekar's Confusion
Manjrekar took to Twitter to question the logic behind demoting Sarfaraz to the eighth position in the batting order. He pointed out that Sarfaraz's recent performances at the Wankhede Stadium, where he has scored 601 runs in just six innings, make the decision even more perplexing.
"Demoting Sarfaraz Khan to No. 8 is confusing," Manjrekar tweeted. "He's arguably the most in-form player in the Indian lineup. I don't know what the team management is thinking."
Skipper's Explanation
India's skipper, Rohit Sharma, responded to Manjrekar's criticism by explaining that the team had to balance the batting lineup with experience and form. He praised Sarfaraz's talent but suggested that the team needed more experienced batters higher up the order.
"Sarfaraz is a very talented player," Rohit said. "But we have to think about the balance of the team. We have experienced players like Pujara and Rahane, who have been performing consistently for us."
FAQ
1. Why was Sarfaraz Khan dropped from the Indian team?
Sarfaraz Khan was dropped for the second Test in favor of Shreyas Iyer.
2. What is the batting order of the Indian team in the third Test?
The batting order for the third Test is as follows: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel, and R. Ashwin.
3. What is Sanjay Manjrekar's criticism of the batting order?
Manjrekar criticized the decision to drop Sarfaraz Khan to the eighth position in the batting order, arguing that he is the most in-form player in the Indian lineup.
4. What are the batting statistics of Sarfaraz Khan?
In the Ranji Trophy this season, Sarfaraz Khan has scored over 700 runs, including a triple-century. He also scored a half-century in India's warm-up game against New Zealand 'A.'
5. What has skipper Rohit Sharma said about the batting order?
Rohit Sharma has explained that the team had to balance the batting lineup with experience and form. He praised Sarfaraz's talent but suggested that the team needed more experienced batters higher up the order.
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